Samsung's creepy, cute AI ball robot, Ballie was one of the spotlights of CES 2024, though it apparently wasn't ready for an actual release at the time. That changed at CES 2025 with the Korean company announcing that the rolling bot will be shipping to buyers sometime in the first half of 2025.
Samsung first introduced the conceptual robot at CES 2020. Since then, it's undergone a large redesign.
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Presumably, this Ballie will do all the things that Samsung showed off last year, including projecting stars on your ceiling during bedtime, showing off directions or projecting meetings on a wall. The device is supposed to include an array of cameras and sensors to help it sense the world around it and also act as a second set of eyes for you. Examples previously shown included using Ballie to interact with a pet at home.
Other than a "it's coming" announcement, Samsung did not announce any other new information about the device.
Samsung also did not announce a price for the rolling companion.
The robot is supposed to respond to voice commands and something called "foot presses" that enables it to complete a task.
With AI becoming ever more prevalent in home tech products, its not that surprising that the major tech companies are looking to get a mobile AI device into your home as well. Concepts have been shown off previously but this is one of the first ones that, allegedly, appears ready to launch.
Amazon has had the Astro bot since 2021, but nothing much has come of it even if it is rumored to have a version 2.0 launching...at some point.
Even Apple, which has largely stayed out of smart home tech, is reportedly looking to make a big splash into the smart home market this year, which we might learn about closer to March.
